History - Buffalo Laborers' Union Local 210 / Strathman Manor
481 Franklin Street, Buffalo, New York
2015 photo
On this page, below:
Tracey Drury, Embattled Local 210 Ready for Fresh Start
Jonathan D. Epstein, With Rising Rents, Buffalo Niagara a Great Place to Own Rental Property
WCPerspective, Strathman Manor Bringing Twelve Luxury Apartments to Franklin Street
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Excerpts Embattled Local 210 ready for fresh start By Tracey Drury Pub. in Buffalo business first, Jan 26, 2006 The changes at Local 210 began in 1995, when the Laborers' International Union of North America identified 210 as an organization controlled by organized crime. In an agreement with the international union, the entire local leadership resigned in 1996, with a supervisor appointed by the international taking control that April. Over the next two years, 32 members were expelled and a trustee was appointed in 1998. The U.S. attorney for the Western District of New York filed a lawsuit in late 1999, which resulted in [Jack] McDonnell's appointment as court liaison officer in January 2000. McDonnell, who is credited with helping to turn the union around, ended his tenure at Local 210 on Jan. 26 [2006], leaving the union on its own for the first time in nearly 10 years. |
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Excerpts With Rising Rents, Buffalo Niagara a Great Place to Own Rental Property By Jonathan D. Epstein Pub. in The Buffalo News, July 10, 2015 Don Gilbert has seen rents rise steadily in the Allentown area of Buffalo, but not like they have in the last few years. The real estate investor who has been a landlord in the neighborhood for about 30 years, owns five apartment buildings on Franklin Street and one on North Pearl Street, with 54 units in all. Most recently, he bought and is converting a former union hall at 481 Franklin into 12 "luxury" studio and one-bedroom apartments, renting for $1,000 and $1,350 per month, respectively. Those will be the most expensive of his units, which start as low as $625 a month for a studio at 444 North Pearl St. But that’s indicative of the price increases in the city. Over the last six years, he says, rents are up at least 20 percent - a much faster pace than in the past. Yet, he’s not worried about being able to lease his apartments, citing growing demand from the nearby Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus and the revival of downtown Buffalo. "Everything I rent is the highest I’ve ever rented it for," he said. "With the critical mass that’s developing at Main and Allen because of the medical campus, there’s more interest with people living there." And that, in turn, makes the properties more attractive for investors eager for a stable and growing flow of cash. Gilbert beat out at least three other offers at the table for the union hall. "There’s been a strong interest in rental properties, because of the increasing market size of that area," he said. "Obviously, it was an attractive piece of property." Buffalo’s continued affordable real estate prices and rising apartment rents are landing it atop a new type of ranking these days: best places to be a landlord .... Part of the boom stems from changing demographics and finances of renters. There’s a new attraction to city living among younger professionals. And recent college graduates, often heavily burdened by school debt, aren’t eager to take on the additional load of a mortgage, even with the affordable prices of Buffalo. So they decide to rent for longer instead. Of course, the spurt of economic and real estate development activity in Buffalo is also starting to drive up property prices for purchases. More people want to live in the city, prompting both large and small investors to snap up Buffalo’s popular doubles and triples in places like the Elmwood Village, Delaware District and North Buffalo. Bidding wars are now commonplace, so the values of multi-family homes and apartment buildings are surging, which could impact the yield on rents. "It might be getting to the point where the valuations are getting a little too rich," Siegel agreed. "Buffalo is getting tighter. It’s almost like the first guys in the Gold Rush were finding gold on the ground. The next guys were panning in the river, and the last guys were digging in the mines. We’re probably at the panning-in-the-river stage." |
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Excerpts Strathman Manor Bringing Twelve Luxury Apartments to Franklin Street By WCPerspective Pub. on Buffalo Rising, Aug 28, 2015 A former union hall will soon be Allentown’s newest residential address. Don Gilbert is converting 481 Franklin Street into 12 studio and one-bedroom apartments. The redevelopment project is Gilbert’s fifth Allentown project that includes 449-51 Franklin Street, 455 Franklin Street, 44 North Pearl Street, and the award-winning restoration of the Hiram Day Mansion at 441 Franklin. 481 Franklin can be described as a Brutalist take on the Larkin Administrative Building. It was built in 1964 for Labor Union 210 and in recent years was the home of M.A. Reich Wholesale Jewelers. Today, the re-christened Strathman Manor has five studios and seven one bedroom units. Gilbert took an interesting route into real estate development. He was born and raised in Buffalo and athletics consumed his early years. Gilbert was a student-athlete at Bennett High School where he won numerous awards for his participation in football, basketball and baseball. He was inducted into the Harvard Cup Hall of Fame and the Bennett Sports Hall of Fame for his achievements in high school athletics. Gilbert was also a three sport athlete at the University of Buffalo. His football experience as an Academic All-American quarterback for the University of Buffalo Bulls Division 1 football tam earned him an opportunity to play football professionally for the Ottawa Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. After retiring from professional football, Gilbert was hired as an Assistant Professor at the University of Ottawa as well as the Head Coach of their football team in 1971. He coached the University of Ottawa Gee Gee’s to their first national championship, the Vanier Cup, in 1975. He has been inducted into the University of Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame, the University of Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame, the City of Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame. ... he started acquiring and rehabilitating Allentown properties in 1979 and now has five buildings with a total of 54 units. Gilbert has a passion for his buildings, restoring them to their historical beauty. He received an award for his restoration of Hiram Day Mansion from the Buffalo Niagara Preservation Board in 2012. He currently serves on the City’s Historic Preservation Board. |